depression counselling
How do I know if I’m depressed?
Depression isn’t just sadness. It is darker than that. Depression can feel like you are moving through cold molasses with every step. It can leave you feeling like you have fallen into a dark hole with no sign of light. Depression can be debilitating.
The good news is that therapy for depression can help! At Transforming Emotions, we take an integrative approach to treating depression, drawing from elements of cognitive behavioural therapy to help you cope in the short term, and elements of emotion focused therapy to help you to address the emotional roots of your symptoms.
Whether you prefer a psychologist, social worker, or psychotherapist, our team members in Toronto and Fredericton offer virtual appointments to help you identify the factors contributing to your symptoms and get you back to feeling like yourself again. Schedule your free consultation today and take the first step towards recovery.
What is Emotion Focused Therapy
While not all therapies acknowledge the centrality of emotion, in our experience the majority of people coming for therapy reach out because they feel bad in some way or another. At Transforming Emotions, we specialize in Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT), an evidence-based treatment that works to change emotion with emotion. More than any other therapy, EFT is grounded in research that has studied not just if therapy works (it does!), but how therapy works.
EFT is informed by principles of neuroplasticity and memory reconsolidation — how our brains change when we create and alter memories. We believe that if you talk about your feelings without really feeling them, you change how you think about your feelings. If you want to change how you actually feel, you need to feel your feelings in a safe place…and then have an opportunity feel something new.
This is because:
- different parts of our brains are responsible for feeling our feelings and for thinking complex thoughts, and
- pathways in our brain change when they are activated or ‘firing’.
So, if I want to change the pathways associated with my feelings, I need to be feeling my feelings for enduring change to occur.
What should I expect when seeking therapy for depression?
Good therapy is built on trust and safety. Period. During your first session or two, your therapist will listen and ask you a few questions to learn a bit more about what is troubling you, and about how you have come to this point in your life. By the third or fourth session, your therapist will share with you their ideas for how they will work with you to make sure you are both on the same page in terms of your treatment goals and how to achieve them.
Our years of experience in treating depression have shown us that it is possible to move from hopelessness and self-criticism to feeling genuine compassion for yourself and others.
How do I get started?
1. Get In Touch
From our Contact Page, book a free phone consultation to help us find the right therapist for you.
2. Tell us About Yourself
A team member will speak with you for 15-20 minute about your concerns. Feeling shy? No problem, if you prefer, you may fill out the form on our contact page, and we’ll send you a brief questionnaire to help us learn more about you and your needs – your choice.
3. Book Sessions
Based on your unique story, we will pair you with the therapist who we think is the best match for what you need. Have someone in mind who you would like to work with? No problem. Let us know and we will take that into account.